"Sister Golden Hair" is a song written by Gerry Beckley and recorded by the band America for their fifth album Hearts (1975). It was their second single to reach number one on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100, remaining in the top position for just one week.[1]
The lyrics were largely inspired by the works of Jackson Browne. Beckley commented, "[Jackson Browne] has a knack, an ability to put words to music, that is much more like the L.A. approach to just genuine observation as opposed to simplifying it down to its bare essentials... I find Jackson can depress me a little bit, but only through his honesty; and it was that style of his which led to a song of mine, "Sister Golden Hair," which is probably the more L.A. of my lyrics... [It] was one of the first times I used 'ain't' in a song, but I wasn't making an effort to. I was just putting myself in that frame of mind and I got those kind of lyrics out of it."[2] Although the song is a message from a man to his lover, explaining that he still loves her despite being not ready for marriage, the title was initially inspired by the mothers of all three members of the group, all of whom were blondes.[citation needed]
"Sister Golden Hair" has been covered by New Jersey-based band Midtown as well as Portland, Oregon-based band The Dandy Warhols, released as a bonus track on their ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... album. Andrew McMahon also covered "Sister Golden Hair" as a bonus track to his first solo EP, The Pop Underground. Declan Galbraith remade "Sister Golden Hair" for his 2007 album You and Me. Ilse DeLange features a performance of the song on her 2009 concert album Live in Ahoy. Arto Sotavalta (fi) had a 1978 single of the Finnish rendering "Sisar Hento Valkoinen" for which Sotavalta was the lyricist: an alternate Finnish rendering entitled "Voi Mua Poika Rukkaa" was recorded by Gulliver (fi) for their 1978 album Ou jee.
The song featured in the 2001 episode of The Sopranos, "Another Toothpick".